British American Tobacco Co. Admits Rejecting Israel Orders

An official of the British American Tobacco Company confirmed today that neither the company nor its agencies were supplying cigarettes to Israel at the present time because of the Arab boycott against Israel. The official emphasized that no racial or national considerations were involved and that this was “a purely commercial matter.”

“We are a commercial enterprise which has its stockholders to consider,” he official said, in a statement to the press. Asked why his firm, like some other large concerns, did not disregard the Arab boycott threats the official replied that every case had its own peculiar problems which had to be treated on its own merits. Efforts are being made to bring about a change in the situation, he said, adding that his company hopes that “conditions in the Middle East will be such as to permit normal trading.”